Boring, Easy Horse Wanted!!

sjp1

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 February 2010
Messages
644
Visit site
So I have had ex racers, then got an appy who I owned for 11 years who sadly I had to have put down because along with the myriad of accidents and tendon injuries along with navicular - having finally got all that sorted for him he developed chronic bilateral uveitis. We battled it for four months - vets bills near 3k, but I couldn't sort this for him and he was too spooky of a horse to have his eyes taken out and really what life would that have been for him.

Have started the whole horse search now and could nearly hang up my boots really!! BUT there has got to be a horse out there for me!! ID's look fab, but they are such high prices now, I have seen a Clydesdale advertised locally but then there is the whole PSSM thing which is not super easy to control - I really think I want a ploddy horse who I can load up into the trailer and go up onto the moor that isn't going to be a pain, bronc me off or have issues!!

Anyone got any thoughts or something they have that is way too quiet for them? I am not a novice rider but I don't want to be living on my wits all the time anymore as I am 50! I want a super quiet horse!!
 

sjp1

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 February 2010
Messages
644
Visit site
YCBM's horse has PSSM - not something that is easily sorted with a high fat diet long term or any diet really.
 

sky1000

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 April 2013
Messages
457
Visit site
A polo pony that can't be used for polo any more? There are facebook groups but I don't know any of them personally
 

Nudibranch

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 April 2007
Messages
7,064
Location
Shropshire
Visit site
After getting sick of years of vet bills with big WBs and TBs I recently acquired a Fell and a Dales. I'm 5'10 but they're chunky enough to take up plenty of leg. The Fell is a great all rounder ride and drive who can do a bit of anything bar hunting, which just blows her brain. The Dales is only 3 but is already the quietest, easiest, most sensible youngster I've ever handled. Hunt riding past? No problem. Walk over a tarpaulin? Boring. Stand watching trucks and motorbikes fly past on the main road? Whatever...
Get a native! They're great.
 

DabDab

Ah mud, splendid
Joined
6 May 2013
Messages
12,572
Visit site
YCBM's horse has PSSM - not something that is easily sorted with a high fat diet long term or any diet really.
My horse has pssm (and I think has in the past been quite a bit more symptomatic than ycbm's), but it's actually quite easy to control with diet and rugging once you have the 'formula' right. And while he'll never be a GP dressage horse, he makes an excellent hack, and that kind of work suits his management needs perfectly. So I wouldn't dismiss clydes on that basis if they are the sort you're interested in.
 

Leo Walker

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 July 2013
Messages
12,384
Location
Northampton
Visit site
After getting sick of years of vet bills with big WBs and TBs I recently acquired a Fell and a Dales. I'm 5'10 but they're chunky enough to take up plenty of leg. The Fell is a great all rounder ride and drive who can do a bit of anything bar hunting, which just blows her brain. The Dales is only 3 but is already the quietest, easiest, most sensible youngster I've ever handled. Hunt riding past? No problem. Walk over a tarpaulin? Boring. Stand watching trucks and motorbikes fly past on the main road? Whatever...
Get a native! They're great.

Or a nice little cobby native cross. My little mare is a star. Very green but quiet enough to stick tack on after weeks of no work and let a novice hack out on her. Loves her work, tries her heart out with whatever I ask of her, adores people and is just an absolute pleasure to have around. She was very cheap compared to the prices I see people talk about on here because she was young and green. She wouldnt have needed any work to do what you want to do though. You could have tacked her up the first day and gone out hacking. For what you want a nice blank canvas with the right temperament would work and probably be much easier to find. People hang on to these type of horses so they dont come up for sale very often as older horses.
 

OrangeAndLemon

Afraid of exorcism
Joined
5 October 2015
Messages
11,429
Location
Cheshire
Visit site
My Suffolk is a great. When scared he thinks going slower is the safest option. That's not to say he doesn't have a canter, and we found a gallop in his repertoire.

The downsides would be the 'easily' load up and take out for the day (he weighs a tonne so you need a strong 4x4). And they are rare, most are used in logging and not broken to saddle, and people who have them don't want to sell. But if there are any, you'll find them on the Suffolk Horse Society website or the Suffolk Saga Facebook page.
 

Quigleyandme

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 March 2018
Messages
2,400
Location
County Sligo
Visit site
I would agree that a large native, Fell, Dales, Highland or native cross cob would suit you. My Dales was clever as a cat on the moor and remained sound all his life. I did have him shod but probably didn't need to because his hooves were so strong the nails used to bend rather than burst through the hoof wall. He was 14.2 and I am 5'8" and I never felt under-horsed because of his build.
 

paddy555

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 December 2010
Messages
12,538
Visit site
ADVERTISEMENT​
My horse has pssm (and I think has in the past been quite a bit more symptomatic than ycbm's), but it's actually quite easy to control with diet and rugging once you have the 'formula' right. And while he'll never be a GP dressage horse, he makes an excellent hack, and that kind of work suits his management needs perfectly. So I wouldn't dismiss clydes on that basis if they are the sort you're interested in.
My horse has pssm (and I think has in the past been quite a bit more symptomatic than ycbm's), but it's actually quite easy to control with diet and rugging once you have the 'formula' right. And while he'll never be a GP dressage horse, he makes an excellent hack, and that kind of work suits his management needs perfectly. So I wouldn't dismiss clydes on that basis if they are the sort you're interested in.

1540393628225-foreground.png
1540393628225-foreground.png

1540393628225-static.png
1540393628225-static.png

1540393628225-background.png
1540393628225-background.png
 

sjp1

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 February 2010
Messages
644
Visit site
Adverts definitely on steroids - they just seem to go on and on!! Thank you girls - lots of searching to do. Am not against a horse with PSSM but not looking to spend the money that YBCM has been advised she can get - my appy had loads of health issues and it is costly and very upsetting when the end comes
 

DabDab

Ah mud, splendid
Joined
6 May 2013
Messages
12,572
Visit site
Yeah for sure....what you are after will probably be based more on feel than anything else, so worth looking at lots of different types. I know a lot of well schooled horses that are a horrible hack and lots of green as grass schooling-wise horses that are delightful hacks, so it can be quite difficult to narrow down potential golden buys from adverts. Good luck
 

Pearlsasinger

Up in the clouds
Joined
20 February 2009
Messages
44,732
Location
W. Yorks
Visit site
Adverts definitely on steroids - they just seem to go on and on!! Thank you girls - lots of searching to do. Am not against a horse with PSSM but not looking to spend the money that YBCM has been advised she can get - my appy had loads of health issues and it is costly and very upsetting when the end comes


I have always said that there is no point in buying a horse with a known problem, most of them will find a problem that nobody knew about for you to deal with sooner or later!
 

JulesRules

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 October 2012
Messages
1,806
Location
Green and pleasant land
Visit site
Another vote for a native.

I'm mid 40s and fancied something smaller so it's less far to fall and less high to climb up. Got my 14hh Highland back in June and haven't looked back.

He's a cheeky monkey on the ground but super to ride. I was riding him in a gale last week and as we rode past a tree the wind gushed loads of leaves onto us. He didn't bat an eyelid.

He does get excited when we go out but because he's small and chunky it's just not an issue.

I'm 5'6 and he fits me perfectly😁
 

Attachments

  • FB_IMG_1538840285503.jpg
    FB_IMG_1538840285503.jpg
    116.9 KB · Views: 29

DabDab

Ah mud, splendid
Joined
6 May 2013
Messages
12,572
Visit site
*whispers* my 4yo is far from native, cobby or similar and is a rock solid hack. The first time I ever took her out on the roads it was blowing a gale (i had a brain fart moment and hadn't clocked how bad the wind was) and she was perfect. She's not unusual, she's just a horse who is relatively brave naturally and has actually been trained to hack well (which doesn't seem to be a thing so much these days, there's an assumption that a horse is either good to hack or not as a youngster).

If I had to pick a breed that has universally been the best hack for me, it would be the TB, but that's because a lot of the ones I've ridden have come from racing or hunting homes where hacking was the norm.

So if you're looking for a good hacking horse it really is worth being open minded about what you look at.
 

paddy555

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 December 2010
Messages
12,538
Visit site
ref post 18 which I daren't quote in case I bring up the advert again! The bit about PSSM horses. Please be careful if you consider this. Some are OK if very controlled. I suspect YCBM's horse is probably very controlled and she may have both the knowledge and the facilities to do so. As Leo Walker said in a post on that thread Henry's movement and potential may be affected by PSSM, who knows. If you don't have the facilities for whatever the horse needs life becomes difficult. Read the PSSM forum on FB. It is not all plain sailing. Some are PTS as they simply cannot be managed and controlled even on what we know as the full PSSM management systems.
 

ycbm

Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Joined
30 January 2015
Messages
56,545
Visit site
ref post 18 which I daren't quote in case I bring up the advert again! The bit about PSSM horses. Please be careful if you consider this. Some are OK if very controlled. I suspect YCBM's horse is probably very controlled and she may have both the knowledge and the facilities to do so. As Leo Walker said in a post on that thread Henry's movement and potential may be affected by PSSM, who knows. If you don't have the facilities for whatever the horse needs life becomes difficult. Read the PSSM forum on FB. It is not all plain sailing. Some are PTS as they simply cannot be managed and controlled even on what we know as the full PSSM management systems.


YCBM's horse has no diagnosis, has never needed to see a vet, and is a doddle to keep. He requires £200 of vitamin E a year, or his big bum muscles go tight. Contrary to the extra rugging PSSM horses are supposed to need, he is almost trace clipped but wears no rug at night and an unfilled rug during the day, all winter, in a cold and windy place. He is not treated any differently from any other horse except for the vitamin E. He used to have alcar as well, because I had it for the other one, but he has refused to eat this for a while now and does not need it.

Please note also that two instructors who see him for an hour at a time do not see the problems which some HHO members thought they could see on a few short videos, and his physio says he is remarkably free of issues for a horse doing the work he is doing.


YCBM's other horse, a QHx, went completely ataxic if he had too little vitamin E, literally falling about. He also required alcar to avoid stiffness in the bum muscles. But was also no different from any other horse when those were provided.

I personally believe that an enormous number of horses with heavy/QH/Appaloosa blood have some form of vitamin E related/controlled muscle myopathy. In buying one (I now have an Appy who seems clear so far) I would assume it and be pleased if it turns out not to be the case.
 
Last edited:

paddy555

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 December 2010
Messages
12,538
Visit site
re your post YCBM. That is your situation ATM and you are lucky. Will it get worse? who knows. I was just pointing out to this poster that there was no point in asking for trouble with a PSSM horse and that it was not always as easy as some suggest. . Any PSSM horse that is. I am sure that a lot of horses of all breeds are deficient in vit E which is why I feed all of mine vit e.
The manner of keeping the horse also impacts on PSSM. Mine cannot be stabled overnight he needs to wander to keep lose. Others are like that. That is fine for me as I have the facilities for it. Someone in a livery stable may not, they may be restricted to having to stable overnight and for part of wet days in winter.
 

PeterNatt

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 July 2003
Messages
4,531
Location
London and Hertfordshire
s68.photobucket.com
I have always been a 'Happy Hacker' and my horses have always been hacked by themselves in traffic. My first horse (skewbald cob) was ridden through Central London (think Oxford Circus Regent Street Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, The Mall, Buckingham Palace and across Park Lane in to Hyde Park), Second Horse (Cob) did the same, Third horse (Heavyweight Cob) is also great in Traffic. I do not believe it is the breed of horse just the temperament. I have ridden through London with two Grand National Winning horses both of which were perfect as well. I once borrowed an Irish Sports Horse and merrily hacked him around Central London and he was fine. It is just a matter of finding the right horse and thoroughly checking it out in heavy traffic to make sure it is fine.
 

Leo Walker

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 July 2013
Messages
12,384
Location
Northampton
Visit site
I personally believe that an enormous number of horses with heavy/QH/Appaloosa blood have some form of vitamin E related/controlled muscle myopathy. In buying one (I now have an Appy who seems clear so far) I would assume it and be pleased if it turns out not to be the case.

If you would be pleased if it turns out not to be the case, then surely its a no brainer not to buy one with it and currently exhibiting symptoms? A friend is having her 13yr old PTS shortly as he has deteriorated and she cant keep him right. The horse was doing fairly well at endurance 18 months ago, not anymore.
 

JFTDWS

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 November 2010
Messages
20,982
Visit site
A polo pony that can't be used for polo any more? There are facebook groups but I don't know any of them personally

Chukkout polo on facebook. You do see plenty of them at the end of the season, looking for quiet hacking type homes, going for very little, or looking for a different job (but less mileage) for a bit more. They tend to be pretty solid and chilled especially hacking.
 

JFTDWS

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 November 2010
Messages
20,982
Visit site
Another vote for a native.

I'm mid 40s and fancied something smaller so it's less far to fall and less high to climb up. Got my 14hh Highland back in June and haven't looked back.

He's a cheeky monkey on the ground but super to ride. I was riding him in a gale last week and as we rode past a tree the wind gushed loads of leaves onto us. He didn't bat an eyelid.

He does get excited when we go out but because he's small and chunky it's just not an issue.

I'm 5'6 and he fits me perfectly😁

For balance my highland is a twit to hack. He's a spooky little knob. His younger brother is less spooky, but more unpredictable / silly. I find him hilarious, but he's not a relaxing hack - though he's excellent at stuff like TREC. My QH, on the other hand, who was super cheap, is much less silly and spooky - though she's young and green. No PSSM though.
 

DabDab

Ah mud, splendid
Joined
6 May 2013
Messages
12,572
Visit site
If you would be pleased if it turns out not to be the case, then surely its a no brainer not to buy one with it and currently exhibiting symptoms? A friend is having her 13yr old PTS shortly as he has deteriorated and she cant keep him right. The horse was doing fairly well at endurance 18 months ago, not anymore.
Out of interest, how did it deteriorate? (if you don't mind me asking) Did it start tying up more or did something else break?
 
Top